Puppet Theatre by Maija Baric

With wit and ingenuity, Maija Baric shows how to transform wooden spoons, pieces of string, holey socks, outgrown clothes and other scrap materials into beautiful, durable, and functional theatrical puppets. When your puppets are ready to perform, discover how you can bring them to life. You'll learn to build staging, scenery, and props and how to create sound effects and devise performances.

Your puppet creations will bring real magic into the everyday world. Use them to transform storytelling at home or in the classroom; ease children’s bedtime rituals; and make a birthdays and other occasion truly special. This is a great activity with your children, who will certainly want to create characters and stories of their own.

Maija Baric studied puppetry at the Prague Academy of Performing Arts and is the artistic director of Nukketeatteri Sampo (Puppet Theater Sampo), a professional theater company based in Helsinki and founded in 1977 by Maija and Bojan Baric. She leads courses in puppetry, directs and performs puppet shows, and designs and creates theatrical puppets.

Kristiina Louhi (b. 1950) is one of the most popular illustrators in Finland. For many years Louhi has brought to life space bunnies, giants, trolls, princesses, and many other memorable characters that generally reflect the spirit of her home country of Finland. The celebrated children's book illustrator has produced numerous books, including Aino and Tomppa, which have been translated into ten languages.